Forbearance
by Babydollxoxo
Summary: Rose and Dimitri are singer/songwriters forced to work together by some form of fate but fate got the story twisted. The duo ends up in a twisted cycle of music, regret, desire and tension. Will they be able to accept their situation or will their newly found world come crumbling down around them?
1. Chapter 1

Songs: Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know? & The Neighbourhood: Baby Came Home.

~FORBEARANCE~

Pulsing beats leaked out the door as it was opened for a few obvious lightweights to tumble from. They were held up purely by lust and the arm candy, laced with the scent of cigarette, beneath their shoulders. Hotel Vladimir was not Dimitri Belikov's cup of tea, or in this case… shot of Russian vodka.

"Belikov! Over here!" The shout of Ivan Zeklos pulled his attention away from the drunken people stumbling away from the clubs opening. Stepping towards his long-time friend he couldn't help but shake his head, this was not how he had envisioned spending his Friday night and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. As though something in his life was going to shift, writing it off as lack-of-seep induced paranoia he stepped towards the shorter, extroverted Russian man.

"Ivan, you're late as usual." The hint of humour behind the comment sparked a self-aware chuckle from the Zeklos family member.

"Look here Belikov, late or not you'll be thanking me after this!" he boldly announced, the taller Russian just shook his head, this wasn't the first time and likely wouldn't be the last time he heard that statement. However, he accepted defeat and slowly stepped towards the doors wondering what exactly he was about to experience.

Flashing his ID to the armed guards at the entry he stepped inside of the hotel filled with sweaty bodies and sinful mistakes only to be pulled by his arm towards a door that blended almost completely into the wall, in fact without being shoved directly through the passage Dimitri was certain he wouldn't have known it was there.

Taking another step to make room for his pushy friend, he waited for the door to close and as it did all sounds from the dancefloor were immediately cut off completely. Ivan smiled crookedly at him, "I'm telling you, this 'club' is worth your time." Dimitri turned away from the door and saw the steep stairs covered in a dark hued carpet before stating, "I think you may be right."

Leaving his friend to ponder the fact he had been agreed with, Dimitri because his ascent up the stairway. It curved around a few sharp corners before opening into a room that easily could have been a club from the 50's. Plush chairs and booths surrounded deep mahogany tables, drapes hung from the wall and ceilings in shades that begged for attention. The lights were dim, and the small chandeliers only purpose was to ensure light flickered all over the room as though thousands of candles were dancing across the walls. Replacing the overzealous beats he had been subjected to moments before, was an electric tune with a distinct riff, the song alone created a sensual atmosphere.

The ambience of room was furthered by the clouds of smoke clinging to the oxygen around them, it was thick enough that he had to blink a few times to get a clear look at the stage that everyone in the room was angled towards.

Being pushed again by the Zeklos family member, the Russian was forced into a booth with a perfect view of the stage. The heavy red curtains were closed but he could see the stage was a similar finish to the tables. The gold accents around the room, the edges of the stage, the decorative buttons upon the booths, the lighting fixtures, all gave the area a rich 50s aesthetic. Intrigued, his eyes circled the room constantly, waiting for the curtains to open, waiting for the talent he had been promised every day for the past 9 days.

~FORBEARANCE~

Blinking at her reflection in the rear view mirror Rose Hathaway sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling for much longer than necessary. She had been in the parking lot outside of St Vlad's for at least 10 minutes already but had yet to exit her hand-me-down vehicle in that time. She leant forward, crossing her arms on top of her steering wheel and laying her head upon them she continued her breathing.

A knock on her passenger window caused the young woman to jolt towards the disturbance, head butting the steering wheel on her way.

"Damn it Lissa! You're interrupting my zen time." She exclaimed whilst unlocking the door for her long-time friend.

"Ha! Rose you wouldn't know zen if it punched you in the face." The blonde retorted with amusement in her voice.

"I'd punch it right back.." She mumbled whilst rubbing the pain away from her forehead.

Lissa rolled her eyes, pulling out a small makeup bag at the same time. Rose eyed the bag wearily, "You trying to tell me something Liss?" whom scoffed at the remark, "As if Rose. I'm just enhancing what you've already put on, it's not heavy enough for the stage light. It's been a while since you've been up there…" She trailed off as Rose's eyes glazed with thought.

She was painfully aware of her absence from the stage, it had been months. Since the age of 11 she hadn't ever gone longer than 2 weeks without performing, but she was going through what she had classily dubbed her, 'dry spell' at the tender age of 22. She didn't have any particular reason for it, it just happened.

One night she jumped off the stage and saw she had an inquiry for a gig in her inbox for a few night later that she never bothered confirming, that was 5 months ago and the only reason she was getting back on stage was because the owners of the venues son, Mason, called in a favour and here she was.

There was nothing traumatic last time she performed, no one threw food scraps, and she couldn't recall anyone tormenting her, it was kind of like she lost all her passion. That went for song writing as well, she had tried to get back on the horse but every time she picked up a pen she felt drained and anything she did write felt forced. Tonight's arsenal consisted of old music she had written whilst fuelled by something. She wasn't sure what it was, when she lost it, or how to get it back.

"Done!" Lissa threw her products back in the little bag that no doubt cost more than the car they were currently sitting in.

The brunette swivelled back to look in her rear view mirror again admiring the high pigment highlight shimmering against her cheeks even in the dark car, not to mention the newly applied red lipstick that somehow managed to be the exact shade as the tiny number she had hidden under her black trench coat.

How Lissa managed to stock the same shade she was clad in without so much as seeing the fabric was beyond her, but to be fair it was nothing new, sometimes she could have sworn they were mentally linked.

The dress was probably purchased by the blonde anyway. It had been sitting in the back of the singers closet for so long with the tags still on she couldn't remember where it originated from. Her motivation for finally pulling it out and putting it on were unknown even to her, but after practically living at the gym for the past months where music was no use to her she could rest assured that the tight material would be hugging her curves, giving her the boost of confidence needed to get out of her car.

"Alright Liss, let's do this." Lissa beamed at Rose as they climbed out of the pile of junk metal. As they walked towards the back entry where Christian was surely waiting, Lissa reassured her brunette friend. "I honestly don't know why you were so nervous, you were confident when you were 6 and screeching out My Heart Will Go On in the playground at recess, but now that you've mastered your talent you are shying away.. I just don't get it. I believe in you none-the-less, you're going to smash it!" Rose could only reply with statements of not knowing, because she truly didn't.

The door opened as they were only a few steps away and as she suspected Christian was there to hold it open. He let go and pulled Lissa to his side as the door quite literally smacked Rose on the ass as she tried to shuffle into the room.

"Wow! Thanks Pyro, I appreciate the chivalry." Her tone was deadpan and you would have to be dead to miss the sarcasm lacing her words. She was become more accustomed to being a shadow since the two had gotten married, newlyweds... What else could she expect?

"Maybe I'd have more time to hold doors open if you weren't so late." He replied with snark, this was standard practise between the two and Lissa simply ignored the barely civil banter.

Having no desire to explain herself to anyone she quickly entered the dressing room around the corner which was just another dimly lit room with two cream couches cracked with age, a corner cut off with a room divider for 'privacy' (she found this redundant considering the divider was sheer and barely blurred the person behind it let alone hid anything) and a vanity with paint peeling and cracks decorating all the outer edges of the mirror.

She started doing vocal runs almost immediately before anyone could shove her onto the stage unprepared. She grabbed her phone to of her handbag checking for a reply to the text she had sent hours ago, knowing better than to get her hopes up she locked her phone and threw it back inside the bag not letting her voice waver as she went up another octave.

She was pacing the cold room still testing her vocal limits when Lissa and Christian entered, hand in hand. They beckoned to their bare wrists and gestured for her to come with them. She held up a finger and hitting the highest note in her vocal range before taking another calming breath and stripping the trench from her body, chucking it on top of her bag before leaving with the happy couple.

They turned back around the corner they had originally come from, passing the heavy metal door, they turned yet another corner to find the empty stage. The curtain was closed but the smoke had managed to penetrate the material giving the stage a mysterious atmosphere.

From the corner of her eye the young woman spotted red hair at the production box to her left, "Hey Mase! Get your ass down here!" He existed the box quickly trying not to run full speed to his old friend, instead coming out with an awkward gallop. "Hiya Rose, you're looking good! You ready for this?" She smiled at him with amusement tinkering with her eyes.

Confirming she was as ready as she'd ever be they exchanged pleasantries, Rose realised her excitement was already dwindling as she started going through the motions, "Yeah we should definitely get together to catch up," "It has been too long," they exchanged all the clichéd lines before she pointed to the gold microphone stand in the centre of the stage.

"Guess I better go over there," she said giving the old school friend a quick hug. "Good luck." He stated before galloping back u to the sound box.

She slithered over to the stand holding her mic and grabbed it. Her hand slipping easily over the cool metal. As she shifted from one leg to the other she realised that 6 inch heels for her first time back on stage was probably not the greatest idea she'd ever had. Never-the-less she took one more deep breath in and nodded at the Mason and his team as she exhaled. Looking back at the closed curtain as the first bars of her song hummed from the expensive speakers and the heavy red material exposed her to the crowd concealed heavily by the smog hazing over the room.

Dimitri's eyes had focused solely on the stage the second he heard the lyrics to the song fade out, _the nights were mainly made for saying things…._ , as a new riff took its place, it felt like a sweet form of torture as the curtains slide open and he heard a voice pierce through the cloud of smoke billowing out from the still heavily concealed stage.

~FORBEARANCE~

 _Baby came home today, told me to stay away…_

The voice caressed his ears in a way he had never experienced, the sound was astounding, clear and captivating but far from clean. Instead it was entwined with intimacy and provocation. Enchanted, his eyes fought through the heavy air and shadows to try and distinguish the woman behind the vocals. Despite his 20/20 vision, the complete lack of night vision goggles made the task difficult.

He tried to catch his breath as he realised he was practically laying on the table in front of him. Gaining some form of composure back he sunk into his seat in a sudden trance. He could see only from her lips down. The dress she had clinging to her body was a deep red that added to the allure of the song she was projecting. Her hair was dark brown or black, he couldn't tell but it fell around her waist adding to her silhouette. He could also make out her lips, they were the same shade as the dress she had pinned to her body but he found them even more captivating. Those lips were the kind that brought men to their knees before a single syllable could be uttered. They stopped time. They provided the first voice that had ever rendered him speechless.

 _So baby packed up all she had, promised to never come back._

 _She left me alone and without, skin I could study about._

Accepting the fact that he would not know the contours of this woman's face he closed his eyes absorbing the music, the lyrics, and of course her voice. Ivan drove an elbow lightly into his arm bringing Dimitris his eyes open as the girl grabbed the stand and stepped into it with the beat of the song. Her slow and deliberate movement added to the performance in a way he had never seen. He was enthralled. The passion being portrayed upon the stage was one he hadn't seen in a very long time.

The woman continued to sing and sway through an 8 song set. Unlike most artists she opted out of short monologues and intervals to address those around her. Instead she hammered through the songs, leaving everyone wanting more. There was no announcement that her final song would be just that, instead the audience watched, practically hypnotised, as she placed the mic back on the stand and turned to strut off the side of the stage.

He muttered a phrase in Russian that would roughly translate to, "No fucking way." His friend smacked against the side of him whilst laughing. "I told you this would be good." He stated matter-of-factly as he slid from the booth.

"Who is she? How did you know about her?" The still shocked man said as he shook his head in attempt to clear it. Successfully wiping the dazed look from his face he pointedly stared, waiting for an answer, but Ivan was distracted by a couple existing from the door to the right of the stage.

"I'll fill you in later man, I'm glad you enjoyed." He said with a smirk. "I have to go talk to some people so I'll text you later." He stated quickly before weaving into the crowd towards the tall black and blonde haired pair whom looked as though they could have been out of a magazine.

Shrugging his shoulders at the man's actions Dimitri tried to shake out the tension from his body before heading out the way he had come. Leaving was a different experience from entering, despite that though he was left equally as confused.

As he opened the door downstairs the bass heavy beats protruded his ears again, the sounds were reminiscent of a bitter taste left in your mouth. As he pushed his way past sweaty bodies and shaking speakers pouring the haphazard bass, thoughts of the music upstairs still stained his brain. The voice upstairs…. That was the flavour of top shelf scotch, but at the same time, water after a drought. It wasn't an acquired taste but instead one any one would turn to in a time of need.

The outdoors brought him a gust of cold wind, shocking him out of his state of admiration. His eyes scoured the entrance of the club, his eyes not settling once on the crowed lined up by the door. Taking a grounding breath, he mindlessly ran his right hand over the top of his left as he began his walk home. He knew without a doubt that his dreams were going to be littered with red lips and aged alcohol.

~FORBEARANCE~

Letting out a breathy note to finish her song, Rose ran her eyes over the blurred crowd one last time searching for familiar face she had been waiting, not so patiently, to see. Giving up all hope that he was there she accepted defeat.

Slowly running her hands up and back down the golden stand for what had to be the thousandth time that night, she turned gracefully and walked slowly, with purpose to the edge of it. Exiting without a single word, she made her way back into the dressing room.

She felt almost as though she had come out of a spell as she re-entered the dingy premises. Although she was disappointed, that feeling had only come to her twice during the performance; once at the beginning and once at the end. The rest of the time she was too busy being swept away by the music she hadn't let in for so long. The feeling wasn't what it used to be and it hadn't even brushed on the passion had felt in the past but it was nice to let the music seep into her skin. She felt as though for a few songs she had been possessed by lyrics and it was a nice feeling.

Still swaying slightly she picked up her trench coat and slipped it back over her body, successfully fighting the cold before it could hit her. As she bent to pick up her bag, distant voices from behind her pulled her back to standing.

"She was stunning. I'm glad he told me about her." The first voice was congratulatory and unknown to her.

"I knew she could still do it." Rose recognised the voice and the proud tone as belonging to Lissa. She would bet that the grunt of agreeance belonged to Christian as well.

The curiosity of who the voice belonged to and who had informed him of her presence was not enough to fight her desire to go home. Instead of waiting to see the guests she quickly snuck out of the room and took of quietly down the only hallway she hadn't been in all night. She knew exactly where it led after visiting it hundreds of times before.

Exiting the only door at the end of the passage she stepped into the room she had just performed for. Keeping her head down she made her way to the stairway leading to the main dance floor and descended quickly. Entering the room, she considered joining the party goers grinding and drinking on the liquor soaked floor. Realising she just didn't have the energy she shook her head at herself and headed towards the back exit.

The trench coat she draped over her body didn't block the cold air as well as she had hoped but the heels strapped to her feet disabled her ability to run on damp concrete. Settling for a steady power walk to her old car, she shoved the keys into the lock and started the engine immediately, craving the warmth the heater could provide.

Waiting for her car to heat up she slipped her phone out of her bag and answered the sixth call from Lissa in the ten minutes she had been out of the dressing room.

"Hey, sorry I left so quickly but I really just want to go home." She stated quickly, rushing to hang up before Lissa could convince her otherwise.

"Wait!" The voice was urgent so hesitantly she returned the cold phone to her ear, "I need to talk to you before you go, I'll come to you."

Sighing, the brunette shoved her head back into the seat and waited. She didn't have to inform her friend of her whereabouts, somehow she always just… knew. Less than five minutes later she heard a knock on the passenger window for the second time that night. She reopened the eyes she had never intended to close. Reaching over to unlock the door Rose Hathaway stared expectantly at her closest friend.

"Don't look at me like that Rose." She stated before being welcomed with another sigh, this time paired with an eye roll. "Christian and I were just with a distant friend of the Ozera's and he mentioned a song writing seminar that's going to be on Monday and long story short he made some calls a got you a spot!" She all but squealed the last part of her sentence before gaining some of her composure back.

A deep groan left Rose's mouth as she smacked her head on her seat in frustration, "damn it Liss, no one actually enjoys those things, they are awkward and most people are forced into them by a record label. Which is something I don't even have." She tilted her head to look at the blonde who look quite discouraged. _Ah fuck._ Rose's inner dialogue muttered, she knew Lissa had meant well but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the obligation to attend now.

"I was just trying to help.." the petite girl said quietly before being met with yet another sigh from the driver's side of the car. This time however it was in defeat.

"I'll do it." Was the only response Rose could muster.

Lissa clapped excitedly, "Rose it's going to be such a good opportunity! You could be writing with some of the greats!" She babbled on as Rose considered the 'opportunity' for what it was. There would be no greats at this event, she had seen these things happen before and had even attend a few junior versions in her time. It was a room filled with thirty or so strangers who took turns being paired of and were given a short about of time to write something that would ultimately be forced and mediocre.

"I'll send you the details! I'm so excited for you Rose!" Were the words to shatter her thought process, and they were followed by the gentle closing of her car door. Unsure of exactly what had just happened the brunette cranked the heater in her car even higher before plugging in her seat belt and tearing out of the car park towards her no doubt empty house.


	2. Chapter 2

Song: The Civil Wars - Falling

~Forbearance~

By the time Sunday evening rolled around Rose Hathaway was dreading the up and coming write she was to attend. Her entire weekend had been tainted with promises of opportunity and fun from Lissa. She couldn't escape, whether it was text messages, Snapchats, tweets, or in person, she was constantly reminded of the activity. In fact, this morning she woke to Lissa's knock at the front door.

Groggily she had dragged herself out of the warm embrace of her covers and pulled the door open harder than necessary sending it to crashing against the wall behind it.

"Morning!" Lissa said excitedly, blatantly ignoring the grumpy look on her best friend face. "I brought coffee!" she stated, handing over the caffeine filled cup before she could be kicked out of the house.

"Lissa, I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that it's a common courtesy to phone ahead of arriving. Or at the very least to send a text." Rose grumbled as she saved her cold feet from the hardwood floors with a fox-embellished slipper. She got on her hands and knees to find the other half of the pair, flipping her bed-messed hair back over her shoulder as she returned to standing. Her eyes were met with a bag filled with – if she wasn't mistaken, donuts.

"If I thought you'd agree to have me over to talk about tomorrow I would have done exactly that. Anyway! I brought donuts!" Donuts were Lissa's version of a white flag being waved, she hated the things, going as far as to refer to them as "Sugary wheels of death and diabetes."

"It hardly counts as a peace offering if the intention was to wreak havoc on my life." Rose continued to grumble as she stomped into her kitchen to deposit the bag of delicious dough on her bench and her ass on one of the uninviting plastic stools placed around the room.

"Havoc on your life? Seems like a bit of exaggeration Rose. I simply want to make sure you're not stressing about tomorrow." _More like not moping_ , Rose thought to herself.

"I'm fine Liss, I've done this before and it's not like I can prepare. I just go in, give them a few catchy choruses and get out of there. Easy." _Plus pointless small talk, awkward compliments and cringe worthy lyrics,_ she added silently.

Lissa just gave her a look that begged for a sincerity that she knew she wouldn't get. "Okay… well if you don't want to practise or anything…." She left the sentence open for Rose to change her mind before shrugging her shoulders in defeat and continuing on, "then we should discuss the quick exit you made on Friday. It's unlike you to avoid social situations. In fact, I would argue it's one of the most out of character thing you've done since you quit music."

"I didn't quit music! I told you I just needed a break." The brunette defended herself. "Besides, I just had a bit of a headache from the lights and sound system in Vlad's." She lied through her teeth. _My bed wouldn't treat me this way_ , her inner monologue fired as she thought of its comforting nature as Lissa expressed her opinions on the matter at hand.

"It just came out of nowhere, it was your life and then it was like you transformed. You didn't want to go out anymore. You just wanted to stay in and accommodate for certain people in your life." Lissa stated softly.

"My bed wouldn't treat me this way." Was the reply to slip out of Rose's mouth. _Oooops,_ she thought as the two shared a look of confusion and slight discomfort before breaking down into a fit of giggles. The smaller woman was never very good at filtering her inner and outer voices.

After a few minutes of uninterrupted laughter, Rose reached for the bag in front of her removing a donut and feasting away as she thought about Lissa's concerns. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl had a point.

Ever since kindergarten Rose Hathaway was known for three things. First, her extroverted personality. It didn't matter who it was, she could interact with them with no issue. Second, her passion. If she cared about something there was nothing that could distract her from ensuring things worked out for it or in some cases, them. And third, her musical abilities.

However, over the past five months, she had unintentionally shifted from the fun loving and attentive person she had once been to a more reserved and … lonely shell of her former self. Chewing on her donut and completely joining the waking world she thought about how it may have happened, and how she could reverse it.

"Rose?..." Lissa coaxed her out of her dream like state.

"Shhh… I'm having an epiphany over here!" Her statement caused another round of laughter from the two. Lissa smiled knowingly at the friend who was starting on her second donut. They had spent the rest of the morning discussing the life of newlyweds, interns, and the performance just passed.

Despite the day of easy conversation and the sugary goodness, as the friends said their goodbyes in the afternoon, Rose remained sceptical of the songwriting seminar. She was happy to slowly dip herself back into the world of music but as she walked around her house taking in the art on the walls she returned to a state of slight dread.

What if she wasn't ready to write with a bunch of people already signed to labels? What if she wasn't confident enough to get up in front of a small room with a clear view of all their expressions and perform something she barely knew? Her brain fired all of the possible 'What if' statements it could generate as she eased herself onto a couch and waited for the familiar sound of her front door opening.

~FORBEARANCE~

Easing his car into the near-empty car park, Dimitri reached for his cup of coffee before he had time to so much pull his handbrake. He had spent his entire weekend distracting himself from the task ahead of him.

Group songwriting seminars were the worst part of his job, uncomfortable silence when you couldn't agree on lyrics, or standing in front of a group performing a watered down version of what you're capable of. It didn't matter, they were always bad news as far as he was concerned.

Lost in thought, he analysed his recent writing endeavors. None of the songs had been great, he could acknowledge that. They could be bopped to, or repeated on radio 30 times a day when accompanied by a big name but none of them were content he could be proud to put his name on.

"Dimitri, we think it would be beneficial for you to go and experience music with others." As someone who preferred to work alone rather than in the constraints of someone else this felt like some sort of personal nightmare. Not to mention how insulting the condescending nature of the comments, even from the head of his label. He had been in the industry for years now and knew how it worked.

Ever since he had woken up he had been fantasising ways to get out of the event. He was sure he'd imagined someone smacking him over the head with his own guitar more times than he could count. Subsequently, Dimitri was certain that he'd prefer that activity. None-the-less the label he was contracted to insisted that he attend. So here he was.

Although the job 'opportunity' being forced upon him had been ebbing at his thoughts the past two and a bit days, most of his attention had been focused on the girl from St Vladimir's. Despite the promise for an explanation from Ivan, the man had remained missing in action since that evening. This was nothing new but it didn't stop Dimitri from harassing his inbox with questions and queries.

He grabbed his phone to check it again for some form of response, shaking his head at his own actions. "Get it together Dimitri." He murmured to himself. As he went to type another strongly worded message, he simultaneously took a sip of coffee. Letting the warm liquid spread through his body he closed his eyes and letter by letter, deleted the message. The infatuation had to end. _She's just a girl with mutant vocal chords. You have other things to focus on. Grow up._ He chastised himself for becoming a pathetic starry-eyed mess over a voice at the age of 28.

Looking away from the brightly lit phone the amount of cars now in the block overwhelmed the songwriter. Checking the time, he awkwardly pushed himself out of his car. There was no way to do it gracefully let alone smoothly. When purchasing his vehicle, he went for sheer size rather than economic value or speed, simply because he wanted to fit in it and at approximately 6'7" that was a difficult requirement for a car to meet.

Heading to the trunk of the car.. or rather truck, he jerked his guitar from the space it occupied and rolled his eyes at the music sheets and pages of lyrics stacked neatly in the corner. Reaching over and grabbing the piece on top, the newest piece, he scanned the melody he had begun creating on the morning of Saturday. After he had finally peeled himself from his bed and the dreams he had predicted.

The song already spoke of infatuation, of adoration, and admiration. The only response he had for his own actions was another violent eye roll. _Real mature Belikov._ As someone who prided himself of remaining level-headed and consistent in his actions, the way his brain had been veering lately had been troublesome.

This wasn't something he could just blame on the mystery girl, in fact, he couldn't blame it on anyone but himself. His spark was fading and he couldn't help but notice it. Around him everyone else was progressing, changing, adapting, while he remained stagnant. The Russian stared blankly at the pile of musical paraphernalia in front of him, waiting for an answer to pop out at him.

After standing there for what had to be at least five solid minutes he returned to the living world before crushing the paper in his hands he throwing it back in the car and pushing the hatch shut. _Let's get this over with._ He thought whilst kicking himself for not ordering a triple shot that morning.

~FORBEARANCE~

She stared out the window at her tiny car, covered in dents and scratches. It was surrounded by cars that screamed money and she couldn't help but draw a parallel from her car in the parking lot to her in this room.

People were streaming into the room at a steady rate and the variety was astounding, she couldn't squash the slight flutter of curiosity fueled excitement. She watched a petite woman with dark curly hair walk through the door straight towards a woman to the left of Rose who was the exact opposite – tall with a mountain of ginger hair piled on top of her head.

She continued her observations and the more she watched the quicker she realized that like her, many of the people were, seemingly, strangers. After accidentally making eye contact with a slender Asian man in the corner, Rose stared at her boot clad feet. Another thing she could take solace in; the fact that she was neither overdressed nor under.

She had spent a solid amount of time selecting an outfit for the day after waiting on her couch had become too much. She was slightly ashamed of how long it had taken her to choose. She had almost become desperate enough to call Lissa, but even thinking of how that conversation would have gone down was enough to discourage the idea before it could fully form.

At the sound of cymbals clanging against each other, the brunette peeled her eyes from the ground to face the noise. "Alright folks. My name is Abe and I'm the one in charge today…" Rose tried to pay attention. Really she did, but hearing about the day structure was not enough to keep her attention. "Blah blah meet and greet." "Blah 45 minutes with each person blah blah." _Should have ordered an extra shot this morning._ She thought to herself as she tried to bring her focus back to the man in the front.

"I'm giving you all a number between 1 and 15, there are stations through this door, obviously go to the one with your number and that's when you'll meet your first partner. It's not rocket science y'all." He stated with boredom aching through the entirety of his sentence.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…."Abe pointed haphazardly around the room with no specific formation. Rose's brain kicked into gear as she waited for her number.

"12." He said pointing at her. She closed her eyes quickly committing it to memory. She had planned to open them before he got to her partner so she could gauge them before they had to meet but the man was speeding through the numbers like he had only minutes to live.

 _Okay, I can do this. I can do it. I think I can, I think I can._ Taking steadying breaths, she waited for the next door to open. The people around her sauntered into the new room, all of them dragging their feet in a subtle act of defiance. She stumbled in after them trying to give an air of sophistication and failing miserably.

The room was not what she had expected. At the writes she had previously attended the hall was just split into tiny blocks with duct tape, and there was enough room for two seats and a music stand. This set up was something much more. The giant hall was still split by duct tape but only four times. Those areas were marked 2, 7, 12 and 15. Surrounding the room was doors all with numbers marked on the front.

She was slightly in awe of the space. Musically it made sense to her, when you're confined and close to each other it wasn't uncommon for your neighbour's music to bleed into yours. But knowing the logic behind it and actually seeing it was a whole different situation.

There was a stage directly at the end of the room, set up was two mic stands, two amps, and a single music stands. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of being called up there. Instead, she ran her eyes over the numbers once more and her eyes settled on the 12.

Slowly approaching it she could see someone already over there, crouched over a guitar case. She watched them ease the acoustic from its confinements, before grabbing their capo and pick. As the man stretched into standing she was floored by the sheer size of him. She tried desperately to keep her mouth from dropping open, he was attractive.

With brown hair to his shoulders, stubble decorated his face and brown eyes bore into hers with confusion seeping from them. As attractive as the man was though, he was still her first write of the day and this was going to be weird enough. She silenced her thoughts and forced a smile as she made her way into the taped section.

"Hello, I'm Dimitri." The thick Russian accent surprised her as she held out her hand to meet his. "Hi there, I'm Rose!" She replied a lot more enthusiastically than anticipated, but she kept the shake of his hand short and steady. _Yes! Go me!_ She celebrated prematurely.

Dimitri invited her to sit before he did so, gesturing with his hand to the seat on the right. She smiled again, this time more genuine and sat down. He pulled his guitar into his lap a checked the tuning. Plucking aimlessly, he faced her and they exchanged award stares. Then in perfect synchronisation, they moved to speak only to stop at the exact same time and look expectedly at each other. They both chuckled somewhat darkly.

This time it was Rose's turn to gesture that Dimitri had the floor to speak but before he could a voice came over the speaker system. "You all have 10 minutes left to get this meet and greet stuff under way, but if I were you I'd get it over quickly and start writing." The words of wisdom caused everyone in the room to shake their heads in unison.

"I was going to ask you, your thoughts about the weather but I guess now I don't need to bother." The Russian voice said as the day's narrator cut himself off. Rose snorted, before throwing her head back into a laugh at the awkward atmosphere.

"That's fair." She stated after her outburst, looking up again only to find her partner plucking away at strings as he tried to find a rhythm or a chord, she wasn't sure. She noticed a gold glint on the hand moving steadily over the fret board but she didn't have time to focus on the now blatantly obvious ring. From the mess of tempos and tunes being created one particular sounds caught her attention.

"Hold on." She stated, causing her first write to look at her once more with confusion. She gave him a look that just pleaded for him to bear with her. "Can you please play that again?" With concentration plastered to his face he plucked at the strings again.

He ran through the progression twice more before he looked up at her. She was biting her lip not sure whether or not it was appropriate to share feedback yet. He nodded his head at her, "Please just say it." He encouraged.

"Well.. the notes, they sounded haunted but the tempo feels off…" she tried to make her voice as neutral as possible but Rose Hathaway wasn't known for effectively concealing emotions. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see understanding melt over the guitar players face.

As he plucked out the pattern a few more times he confidently added new rhythm that wasn't there before. Rose felt inspiration hit her like a truck filled with bricks as she begun to hum to the rhythm, pulling her hair in a pile, she tied it into a knot on the top of her head so she could concentrate. In front of her was a music stand with blank sheet music and lined paper.

Snatching the paper and pen from the stand she lost all inhibition and wrote a few disorganised lyrics across the page before crossing them out and writing something else. She could feel Dimitri's stare burning into the side of her, he stopped playing as she continued to scrawl words across the page.

"No!" She blurted and he looked at her with one eyebrow raised and amusement dancing across his eyes. "I mean; can you please keep playing..." she attempted with a sheepish grin. He did so with no questions but with the request to see the lyrics. She confirmed with a nod as she added one last line.

"Okay, this is rough but it's just an idea," she said whilst pushing the paper back onto the stand and angling it so they could both see. Dimitri's eyes scanned the page as he took in the lyrics before staring at it as though he was waiting for something to jump out at him.

"These are wonderful… kind of like poetry. But I'm going to be honest, I don't know how it fits with the music in terms of tempo." He stated calmly. Rose let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

"Oh well, umm." She pointed from the lyrics to the guitar a dozen times with her mouth opening and closing with no sound whilst Dimitri stared at her just waiting to understand. "I think I'm just going to have to show you." she sighed in defeat. Dimitri nodded as though agreeing that was probably the best course of action.

He began plucking the melodic tune again, and Rose counted her way in.

 _Haven't you seen me sleep walking? 'Cause I've been holding your hand._

 _Haven't you noticed me drifting? Oh, let me tell you, I am._

 _Tell me it's nothing. Try to convince me…_

She stopped singing for two reasons one of which was her lack of more lyrics and the second was the look on Dimitri's face that flicked from wide eyes surprise to admiration, to horror, and was now steady on concentration. She could practically see the gears moving in his head. What he was analysing she wasn't exactly sure but boy was she anxious to find out.

~FORBEARANCE~

 _Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!_ The word rolled through his head in a mix of languages and emotions. _Okay, so mystery girl is most definitely sitting across from you Dimitri! How does that voice come from that body?! Wait you were supposed to be over this infatuation.. But that was before the chances of meeting her were even remote! You have a wife pull it together._

He shouldn't have been as shocked as he was. When he had turned, guitar in hand to meet the partner he had been dreading all morning; he had made eye contact with a woman much shorter than himself. Which really wasn't hard to be, but despite her common stature she had a familiarity about her.

He had experienced confusion immediately, he quickly analysed her from head to toe. He didn't know her eyes that much was certain, but her hair shone brightly despite it's dark hue. He had brushed his eyes quickly over her nose and mouth choosing not to start intently at them, that could never end well with a complete stranger.

Her clothes didn't ring a bell for him either, a leather jacket over a low-cut top in a colour resembling the darkest pits of the ocean. Her pants were black and tight and combat boots finished her look. Yet there was no specific recognition. Now he had wished he had taken the time to look at her lips, they were already etched into his memory.

Realising the woman across from him was going slightly red after having no feedback AND a giant Russian man just staring intently at her. He diverted his gaze to the sheet music, muttering something he hoped was a compliment as he grabbed the spare pen and jotted down another line.

 _That I'm not drowning, Oh let me tell you I am._

He turned to her and she nodded in encouragement as he added a few more, trying to keep a similar theme throughout his lyrics to match with hers. He placed the pen back on the stand and grabbed his guitar again. "I understand completely now and I think you're onto something. Let's just play around with it and see what happens." He was met with words of agreeance as he started the melody again.

This time they added the new lines and already a harmony had begun to flow. Needing a change of pace he played a series of different chords and patterns trying to make something out of nothing. It came to him quicker than he expected and he enjoyed the admiration shining from Rose's eyes. He sang a few bars and reached to write them up. Rose followed suit and instructed her idea for the pattern behind her fresh words.

She sped up the tempo to get to the part of the song she wanted, providing him with an immediate understanding of where she was going but the funny part was somehow, he already knew. Her voice was still sending shock waves through his body with a similar effect it had over him on the Friday night just passed.

The difference was now the girl wasn't a mystery, she was really here, and she had real talent. Both in singing and writing. He was torn between wanting to push her away from him immediately and staying to explore the musical connection they somehow possessed despite knowing nothing about each other.

They played through the first minute of the song, both singing and tapping their feet to the rhythm. As Rose reached up to alter a few words she held the paper down with her left hand. Trying to see the alterations, Dimitri was distracted by the silver ring decorated with diamonds weighing down her hand. But all thoughts on the matter were disrupted by the waving of her right hand in his face.

"Hey there Comrade! Don't fall asleep on me now." The sarcasm and humor dripping from her voice caused a genuine smile to split across his face as he laughed at the tactless nickname.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" He retorted picking up where he had left off in the tune. For the next 20 minutes they spring boarded ideas from each other, changing tempos, lyrics and harmonies. By the end of the session they had a finished song. It was rough and needed some reworking but with only 45 minutes it was a miracle to have this much done.

The call for a 15 minute break was announced as everyone began to pack up their instruments. Dimitri froze knowing that after that break it would be time to partner up with someone new and he knew without a doubt that nothing could top the experience he had just had. _And to think you didn't want to come here today_. Even his thoughts were dripping in sarcasm.

Rose turned to him, "So we avoided the small talk before but I think after that," she said pointing at their work, "I think it's necessary." He gave a small, closed mouth smile, followed by a nod, before standing. The two of them exited the hall together returning to the lobby which now had beverages and snacks set up in one corner.

"Coffee!" Rose exclaimed, Dimitri was sure he had never before heard those two syllables sound more hypnotising.. and he loved coffee.

~FORBEARANCE~

Sorry to be that person but I'm begging for y'all to review!

I'm like Tinkerbell, I need applause to live.

(Basically I'm a slut for praise so help me out.)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Her there y'all I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I fee horrible about the wait to get this chapter up but Uni has been kicking my ass so what can you do!? Pretty please review!

~FORBEARANCE~

Grabbing for a Styrofoam cup she picked up an extra, turning to place it in the hands of the tall Russian. They made eye contact and he looked from the cup and back to her with appreciation. In silence Rose tore open two packets of the cheap instant coffee provided, trying and failing to resist the urge to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Honestly, they expect us to pump out a couple of tunes they can make money off of and they fuel us with this crap." She groused as the music induced glow fell from her body. She couldn't be sure but she expected the cause was the sudden realisation that in less than fifteen minutes she was going to be forced to move one station to her left, and she knew what that meant. No more Dimitri. No more flow. And a whole bunch of confusion.

Dumping in a handful of sugars and topping her cup with milk she noticed Dimitri watching her with amusement. "What?" she questioned defensively. Upon her question he wrestled for composure and succeeded… Mostly. There was still a sheen over his eyes that whispered the truth, "I think you're supposed to taste the coffee, it's kind of the whole point." He said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She raised both eyebrows, annoyed that she couldn't be more suave by only pulling up one – this was a talent she didn't have, much to her dismay. "Come on! No one enjoys the taste of coffee, anyone who says they do is lying and shouldn't be trusted." Despite her compelling defense the only retort she got from Dimitri was a single eyebrow raise. _Bastard.._ She thought, as he turned back to his own cup of caffeinated poison, opting for four sachets of cheap coffee, topped with water and that was it.

She was slightly awed at the concoction as she made her way over to an empty seat with room for a few. The piece of old furniture threatened to throw her off when she placed her weight down on its faded tapestry. None-the-less she sunk down with her head rested against the wall, coffee loosely balanced on her lap as Dimitri lowered himself gently next to her. Both wrapped up in their own mental battles.

Rose forced her neck to turn so she could focus on the issue – or more so, the man at hand. Not stopping to think she blurted the first words that came to mind… as usual. "So Dimitri, you come here often?" The cliché slipped out in a teasing tone before she could think to reign it in, but to be fair it wasn't far from a fair question. Was it often that this musical god connected mentally with other people in his profession? Or at all?

Obviously taking the question as a mood lightening joke, _Thank god,_ she could see him analyzing his answer carefully, before letting the words roll casually from his tongue. "This building? Yes, I've been in the singing and songwriting business for a few years and my label… encourages," He carefully chose his words, "All members to come here for writes. However, group writing isn't something I usually choose to partake in."

Next to him Rose absentmindedly drummed her fingers on her thigh whilst sipping the still bitter coffee. She moved to ask another question but was stopped when Dimitri countered with one of his own, "Your lyrics were a style I haven't heard much or at all really. Where do you draw inspiration?"

She instinctively began to retort with her personal form of witty sarcasm but as she saw the serious look on her peers face she was struck with a sense of urgency. As though he truly needed to know the answer. In attempt to show a sense of maturity she pondered the question, unsure herself of where the words sprang from.

With only limited time before their next write with a new partner she answered the question as quickly as she could, "I obviously take from other artists and make something of my own. As for inspiration, it could come from anywhere, a song, a movie, a quote, sometimes a melody is enough to paint a picture in my brain." She expressed.

For the next few minutes the pair asked of music influences, inspirations, goals in music, and as they touched on their reasons for being there a familiar symbol shattered the conversation. "Times up, everyone return to your original stations." Rose's face fell. It was a miracle that the day hadn't been a disaster yet but she had known better than to hope the pattern would continue. _We peaked early,_ her brain fired.

In her peripheral vision she saw a hand reach to help her up, taking it, she pried herself from the cushions that were trying with all their might to drag her back down. "Thanks comrade! And they say chivalry is dead!" She said, followed by the quietly muttered words, "or something," as she threw her half empty cup of disappointment in the garbage bin adjacent to them.

"Nice shot." He said entertainment apparent in his voice. The brunette turned and flashed a dazzling – and somewhat cheesy, smile at him as she made her way back into the song-writing room. Still saddened that the vibe she had been experiencing with her new almost stranger, was coming to an end (and quite possibly her writing mojo she had just gotten back.) She reached the area marked 12 much quicker than she would have liked.

"One person from each group needs to move to their next number, 1 will go to 2, 2 will go to 3 and so on so forth." Abe commanded the room with what she now suspected was permanent boredom leaking from his vocal chords. So far throughout the hour and a bit she had been present she had not seen the man crack a smile; only sneers and smirks. Granted her attention was elsewhere for the greater part of the last hour but she had noticed.

She watched Dimitri begin to lift his guitar from the stand, his intension to pack it away painfully obvious. "What are you doing? I'll move on! I only have to carry one thing." She stated matter-of-factly whilst pointing at her own head. She had said it off hand and hadn't expected the response she would get from her new… friend who had managed to remain reserved throughout the time they had been forced to spend together so far.

"I'm sure that's a heavy thing to carry so I really don't mind moving this case over there," he also pointed but instead towards the door marked 13. Surprise must have filtered over her face as the attractive man smiled at his own joke. _Game on._ She thought to herself still stuck in a state of appreciation and stupefaction.

Returning her gaze from the door marked '13' to Dimitri again she fought to find words but found herself empty handed. Stunned speechless. She couldn't remember that ever happening before.

Focusing on the work station she had been situated at all morning she noticed her seat already occupied and immediately her response was formed. "Oh I must insist, you stay. The burden of carrying this around is heavy but it is one that I've accepted." She said with a false sincerity and partnered it with a smirk. Dimitri raised an eyebrow at her again before shrugging his shoulder.

Needing to move to her new room she eventually settled on a goodbye, "Well it was lovely working with you Dimitri, good luck with," she fought to muffle the laughter threatening to rise, "um.. that." She finished shakily gesturing to the slender man she had spied upon entry to the building, only this time, with his finger deep in his nostril.

Dimitri looked at her horrified, begging for some way to escape his newly recognized fate. She laughed again smacking her hand lightly against his chest twice, "Like I said! good luck!" she said turning to slide off with her smug expression juxtaposing the tortured one she was leaving behind.

~FORBEARANCE~

He watched her glide across the room's floor leaving a path where her movement had disrupted the dust that had settled permanently. It wasn't until he saw her steps falter in front of the door, as though she had to steel herself, that he turned to his own work station. He too followed a similar ritual; sucking in a grounding gust of air he walked with purpose, grabbing his guitar and lowering himself into the chair he had already occupied once that day.

The chair was too small, they always were, it dug into his spine and his legs were surely going to cramp soon. This was standard practice for him, it was something he had experienced throughout most of his life. Hell, he had experienced in this very hall before but the sensation he wasn't used to was the feeling of cold that was washing over him as he looked at his new writing partner.

Throughout the rest of the session he tried to connect the same way he had already done that day; maybe to prove it was just a fluke, maybe to find the connection he had felt with someone else. He wasn't even sure what he was searching for anymore.

It didn't help his case when Abe slithered through every door and requested the curtains to be opened, so he could monitor the progress of everyone under his control for the day with little movement on his part. That was such a classic move for the glorified talent scout, he had always enjoyed analysing people for his own agenda, whatever it may be, without having to exert himself.

As a man who prided himself on his ability to focus, putting all his efforts into each action he had ever taken, it left him frustrated that his eyes kept drifting. It felt second nature for his eyes to slip from the almost empty sheet music in front of him to the bare window now exposing a tangle of brunette hair. At least the struggling musician could find solace in the fact that he found her swiveling her chair every now and again to bring their eyes together.

The day went back to moving in slow motion, the burden of writing with people less experienced, or frankly less talented that his previous partner was almost causing Dimitri physical pain. He strummed the simple chords the raven haired girl now on the seat adjacent to him had demanded whilst she crooned some been-there-done-that lyrics. To be frank, he thought his bronze strings deserved better. The clocked ticked over to the end of the session. The end of the days' work, a freedom he had wasn't sure he wanted anymore.

"Instruments down folks." Abe's deep voice boomed through the hall inspiring the creak of studio doors opening and the instant shuffle of the artists preparing for a speedy exit. "We have recordings of all your sessions and copies of your sheet music, we'll review and get back to you. I'm sure I'll have the pleasure of seeing you again sometime soon." The word pleasure dripped with snark yet the entire spiel had a hint of enthusiasm. Dimitri assumed it was excitement for the end of the day, or the closest thing to excitement the grouch had ever experienced.

Giving a polite smile paired with a generic goodbye to the woman in Rose's seat, _it's not her seat_ , his brain scolded immediately, he packed away his guitar at lightning speed. Standing to catch a final glimpse of the girl whom had littered his thoughts since St Vlad's, his sight was blocked with the head of raven hair he had already dismissed in the most Dimitri way possible.

"Here's my number sugar, we made something really great here, feel free to contact me anytime." Her Texan accent leaked through with honorable intentions whist her eyes glinted with promises of something much grittier. She pushed the paper into his chest and he furrowed his brows a look of concern slipping onto his face, a look she missed as she sauntered away with an obvious over sway in her step. Frustration filtered through him as he noticed the room was practically empty, the short brunette nowhere to be seen.

"How subtle. You must really be a _charmer_ , comrade." The voice of the feisty brunette breezed through from behind him. He didn't have to turn to know there was a smirk decorating her face. That didn't stop him from taking a few seconds to mask the ecstatic look he was sure would come of manic, that her presence had already inspired.

Dimitri turned at a speed he found acceptable, just hoping it wasn't too enthusiastic. "Well Rose, what can I say, I've trained hard, I'm good at what I do." A double meaning stuck with the words but his tone would leave anyone unsure of whether the act was intentional. The ruffled look on her face only confirmed that fact, however it was quickly replaced with a content smile that confused them both.

"Well I won't lie; our write was by far the most successful of the day." Dimitri agreed internally, his thoughts silently added, _most successful ever._ "I found that most of the people here wanted to write some bubblegum pop or aimed for something far too angsty. Personally, I like my music to have at least an air of mystery, whether it comes from the tune or the lyrics. Something has to be left to interpretation." Rose confessed, leaving Dimitri to cling to every word, an action she was sure to have noticed by his deep gaze.

She smiled up at him mischievousness taking over the innocence previously there as she continued to speak, "Then again, I didn't notice any of my partners picking their nose." Dimitri just looked at the floor shaking his head with a closed mouth smile. The memory felt as though it was years ago instead of a mere few hours.

A retort slipped from his lips before he could stop it, "Yes thanks a lot for that Rose, at least he and I had an ice breaker, 'Hey there, I would shake your hand but I'm not a fan of mucus'." The very sarcastic comment caused a tinkling laugh from his new acquaintance but he was too busy processing what had just happened to give the musical sound his undivided attention.

Dimitri prided himself of many things, his ability to remain professional and controlled at all times was one of them. The carefree way the words slipped from his tongue left him at a stalemate of emotions. Was he happy that he was finally letting go and embracing the things coming to him? Or was he worried that he was wasting the practices he had worked so hard for his entire life?

Subconsciously fiddling with his wedding ring he gained his composure again, an act he usually didn't have to put so much thought into. He looked at Rose only to find her with her head tilted, eyes focused on the music stand he had called his all day. The only sheet music he had interest looking at was placed gently on the top. Her face was soft, a look of pride and sadness filtered through her gaze.

The screech of a rusty stand being dropped to a close brought them back to the world of the living instead of the land of memories they had both become trapped in. She looked at him sheepishly, "I think we made something great Dimitri," she stated honestly, a comment that wasn't fueled by ulterior motives held by his last write of the day.

He nodded in agreeance, always a man of few words. "I should probably go.." She added, before hesitantly raising a hand. Dimitri shook it, taking care not to squeeze to hard around the significantly smaller limb hidden within his own. "Bye Dimitri." She said quietly, turning to leave after receiving his nod of goodbye. As she left he lifted his guitar case and surveyed the room now being cleared of musical paraphernalia, muttering, "Goodbye Rose," as he too took steps to leave the soon to be barren room.

~FORBEARANCE~

Her drive home could not have been safe; her thoughts were busy drifting to the music that had seeped into her pores. It wasn't until she stepped out of her car still humming the tune he had strummed that she realised she didn't even remember driving her own car. Sighing to herself, she slipped through the wooden door of her house with the plan to run a steaming hot bath filled with bubbles immediately.

Heading towards her bathroom she kicked of her shoes, threw down her bag and began tossing articles of clothing from her body before she had even reached her destination. Her house was nice, clean, and clutter free but her bath tub was by far the best part, in her totally bias opinion. Steam cascaded around the room as the water level rose. She tipped in an obscene amount of bubble baths and oils; still absentmindedly humming her new favourite tune.

The wait for the tub to fill had been a slow and delicious form of torture so when the job was done her body relaxed instantly. As she placed a single foot into the concoction of scalding water and lavish scents a thumping beat caused her to shake with annoyance. Removing her singular body part from the heavenly water, she grabbed the black silk robe – a gift from Lissa of course, off the back of the door and quickly made her way to the source of the noise.

Nearing the door furthest from the stair case, music pulsed through so much so that the sound of movement inside the room was almost lost. After minutes of knocking, the thoughts of her now cooling bath became too much as she twisted the door handle and pushed the door open with a little bit more force than necessary.

Despite living in the house for almost two years this room still seemed foreign to the young woman. She had only entered it a handful of times and it never looked exactly the same. However, there was always a paint covered tarp covering the over-priced cream carpet and a half a dozen easels littering the room. _Joys of living to an artist I guess._ Rose thought to herself.

"Adrian….. Adrian. Adrian!" Her voice heightened in octave as well as volume as she desperately tried to gain her fiancés attention. It wasn't until she was screaming that she succeeded in her task, he looked around quickly trying to find the source of his distraction. His face was covered in confusion, but once he saw her it changed to what she could only assume was a form of adoration.

Bouncing to turn the music down he slipped up to her placing a heavy kiss on her lips. "Hello beautiful, why am I fortunate enough to have you screaming at me this evening?" He said affectionately. Rose smiled weakly up at him but found he couldn't see it as his eyes were focused on the canvas he was stationed at moment before.

Clearing her throat she drew his attention back to her, "Could you please use headphone tonight, I need some quiet."

"Rose.. Needing quiet? That's a first!" He stated teasingly back at her before agreeing. He didn't so much as ask her why she had made her request before he placing his also over-priced headphones onto his ears. She watched him pick up his momentarily discarded paint brush, and rolled her eyes in frustration. "Yes Adrian my day was great, thanks for asking!" She bitterly muttered to herself as she took his silent que to leave.

With a annoyance now sweeping over her body in heavy waves she stomped downstairs to pour herself a now much needed glass of red wine. She made it two steps back, glass in hand towards the stairs before she shuffled back to grab the bottle. _Just in case_ , she thought as she all but floated back up to the steaming tub waiting for her.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey friends. I'm so sorry for the wait. The writer's block was strong with this one. I know where I want this story to go now and I'm sure the wait won't ever be this long again but I make no promises. Let me know what you think!_

The sound of his phone ringing distracted Dimitri from the glaring match he was unwittingly participating in; his partner, an almost blank piece of sheet music mocking him as he lifted the tiny chunk of metal and glass to his ear.

"Hello." He stated in a deep Russian accent. Listening intently, his face blank of emotion he soaked in the conversation before politely stating his farewells. His eyes fluttered shut in an effort to shut off his surroundings. The phone call had made things crystal clear to the struggling songwriter as he prepared a course of quick action.

Placing his guitar on an over-priced stand purchased by his adoring wife, he stepped through the oak door of his writing room, ensuring he bent whilst exiting the door frame to avoid another accidental concussion. As he crossed the length of the house from his work area to the kitchen his mind moved at hyper speed, analyzing the past two months.

His movements had been slower than usual since the workshop. Assuming he had regained his passion and abilities to write something he could be proud of, he had returned from the write with big plans. The first evening he had spent hours singing their lyrics under his breath, tapping his foot to the rhythm he had co-created.

"Dimitri, could you please give it a rest?" Tasha had stated at their dinner table as he poured her a glass of expensive wine. He nodded as the tune continued for him silently within his blood as he lowered himself across from her. Before he had touched his own seat she had begun asking questions of his day – an action that would be sweet if it hadn't felt like an interrogation.

He answered her questions, trying to place his enthusiasm into his answers but his mind was drifting to words he could write and strings he could pluck. Preparing to share more insight into his successful experience he waited for a moment to interject that never came. Tasha asked the questions she wanted answered before slipping into stories of her day, by the time they had finished, her day had been summarized and with no new material she slipped into stories that had already been told.

He watched as she moved constantly, if she wasn't twirling her slick black hair around her finger, she was rotating her wine glass in her hand or pushing the diamond encrusted wedding band and much less extravagant engagement ring around her finger as she rattled off experiences of the past. He had always enjoyed listening to the passion in her voice that seemed ever present, but the day had been long, his emotions had varied significantly since he had awoken until this moment. He was too exhausted to invest himself completely into the ramblings.

Instead he excused himself, lifting their plates and silverware placing them into the sink, enjoying the hot water and suds. The mundane tasking of cleaning dishes brought him back to reality. Finishing the job, he returned to his wife of 6 years leaning down to place a soft kiss to her cheeks, one that she intercepted with her lips. It was a kiss of desperation on her end. One he was still far too tired to completely reciprocate.

Somehow Dimitri found his writing had continued to be lacking since then, his lyrics they were back to a standard he could stand but there was always something missing. If he had the beat, he was missing the right key. No one could find a perfect harmony. The songs he had begun to compose were always only partially finished, missing the chorus, a hook, a bridge, the songs were never done. Lacking in completed work was infuriating for the musician and the phone call made it apparent that his label wasn't a fan of it either.

"Dimitri, this is Kirova." The clipped and business like voice was commanding even through a cellphone speaker.

"Hello Kirova, how may I help you?" His reply was steady and formal but receiving a call from head of your label was never a reassuring experience.

"Dimitri, the label needs something new from you, as a singer or songwriter. This hiatus your music has taken is no longer sustainable for the business. Unfortunately, if we don't have something new from you in the next two weeks other action will need to be taken. I'm sorry to put this pressure on you Dimitri, but the music business is moving far too quickly now and we need something to sell." Her voice had an apologetic echo ringing behind the tone of authority.

"I understand. Thank you." He replied, his voice hollow. The room swam around him, his hands threatening to crush the small device in his grasp.

The room no longer seemed cozy, the faded leather couches, and tall wooden stools no longer provided a place for music to be created comfortably. Immediately they became traps. _It's fine Dimitri, you can do this._ His inner monologue fired as he tried to regain a sense of calm and clarity.

There were few options for him to take, so he began processing each of them. _Option one – give them the songs I've got ready that I'm not proud of, but that could ruin my personal identity and integrity as an artist. Option two - I could leave music and try a different career path. Option three – ask Abe to help find another talent to work with him, that would be great if he didn't have such high standards... Or there's option four, the least likely to be a success and the most likely to cause him immense stress… find Rose._

~FORBEARANCE~

Ungracefully Rose rolled herself to a sitting position at the edge of her decadent bed – her feet didn't even brush the ground. Music echoing through the house had shaken her awake, it wasn't a new occurrence but it also wasn't one she welcomed. Groggily rubbing her eyes, she grimaced at the time on the clock opposite her, 7am was, in her humble opinion, far too early to be awake.

The brunette stumbled out of her empty room side eyeing the door at the end of the hallway; the cause of her rude awakening. Sighing, she made her way into the kitchen with the image of coffee clouding her thoughts. As if on cue, as she turned on her beloved coffee machine she heard the music stop and the door swing open. She counted the seconds before he would be standing beside her waiting for the first cup, listening for footsteps was pointless, his steps were always silent.

One… Two… Three… Four… Five…

"Morning Rose!" Adrian exclaimed, placing his lips on her cheek, before leaning against the sink opposite her. "I didn't wake you up did I?" She had gotten used to this question after being asked it almost every day for months. After the first two weeks of saying, "Why yes Adrian, your infuriatingly loud music did wake me from my peaceful slumber," – or at least something resembling that; often with more cussing and less coherence, she had settled for just accepting defeat. No rest for the wicked or something like that.

"Nope, my alarm went off, you mustn't have heard it." Her reply was on autopilot, as were her hands as she sloppily built two highly caffeinated drinks. "Sweet," He replied grabbing the first cup from her hands and guzzling it down. By the time she had taken a mouthful out of her own mug he had beckoned for a top up.

"Your hands not working love?" She said sarcastically as she poured the remnants for him. He grinned at her, oblivious to the bitter undertones leaking through her question. Letting the flavor of sweet, sweet caffeine explore her tongue she swallowed her frustration, grappling for a caffeine induced calm to take over.

"So Lissa messaged me last night, she says we need to leave around 11 to make it to the restaurant in time." Rose said, confirming the plan for the third time that week.

Adrian grimaced as he reached behind his own head, rubbing nervously at my neck, before timidly making eye contact with his fiancé.

"Don't you dare cancel on me Adrian Ivashkov, this lunch has been set it stone for months!" She exclaimed placing her spare hand on her hip, using all her energy not to stomp her foot in frustration.

"Rose, I'm sorry…. I have to go check out the new exhibition, the kid is an up and comer and I need to show support. I forgot to tell you." Adrian replied hurriedly, his attempts to pedal quickly over his not quite accidental double booking without a fight seemed futile after he took in the stormy expression on the smaller brunettes face.

"I told you about this multiple times this week not to mention the countless times since we RSVP'd…" She began before being cut off.

"Rose it isn't even OUR anniversary! Lissa and Christian will understand. We spend all our time with them anyway!" Adrian supplied before realizing his mistake – Rose had not been awake long enough to have a hold of her attitude and she always was temperamental; especially in the mornings. A fact he had learned the hard way when she threw a fork at him for suggesting that cronuts could take over the donut market. In fact, at this point the artist wondered why she bothered getting up early if she was going to be so damned grouchy.

"YOU do not spend your time with them! I spend my time with them because you constantly cancel. I haven't had a meal with you in a month. You haven't come to a single gig since I started working. I can't even catch you at your own exhibitions for Christ sake!" Her voice got louder as she went on but she stopped herself before she went off on an unnecessary tangent.

Her partner's eyes were wide and his mouth practically on the floor but before he had a chance to rebut her she rolled her eyes as she snatched her mug and stomped up the stairs in a huff. Entering their overly decorated room she slammed the door, leaning against it whilst she ran her fingers around the rim of her mug – feeling each chip against her skin.

She had kept this mug for years, a picture of her and Lissa dressed up for Halloween was printed on the front. It had been a birthday gift during their final year of high school and she had laughed harder than she should have. When she moved in with Adrian it was expected by his family whom owned the house that it would be in impeccable and presentable condition which meant all goofy Knick Knacks she had collected over the years (most of them presents from Lissa) had to be hidden away. Her mug was her one feeble attempt a rebellion at the family she didn't want, but came with the thing she did wish to keep. Adrian.

 _Well at least I control something._ Her inner monologue fired as she downed the rest of her mug and the music down the hall started up again. Pushing off the wall, she changed into workout gear planning a run before the forced pampering Lissa would be around to force on her began.

Running wasn't something she enjoyed but over the past year it had become an escape, with her brief stint from music leaving her with excess emotion to dispose of. As she ran her lungs screamed but for a moment her head and heart didn't, and with this clarity she always sensed that something was no longer fitting where it should have been in her life.

When music flowed easily from her, tantrums and dramatic storm outs were never necessary, in fact she hadn't had either of them since she was toddler. Sure, she had fought people and had been impulsive to a fault but being a brat was not in her nature. Whilst running a question posed itself to her, what had to change to bring her back to who she once was; who she wanted to be.

Slowing her paced out to a jog, then a walk and eventually do a stop the young woman mulled over what the answer was. Music had a part to play, of that she was sure, but as she took the time to stretch out her muscles a realisation washed over her. The last time she had truly let go and let the music wash over her enough to quiet the roaring thoughts in her mind was in the write. It was with Dimitri. _Damn it, it had to be the big scary Russian didn't it._

….

Eventually returning home Rose sheepishly entered the house ashamed of her childish behavior but unsurprisingly to her there was no Adrian around to fill her with guilt. Just an empty house and an increasingly empty relationship.

Placing her negative feelings towards her partner on the backburner she thought about all the positive parts of their relationship as she showered and applied her makeup. Adrian had picked her up when she had needed it the most and that action was one she would never stop being grateful for.

They had met after a performance she had given at a local fundraiser, that day her emotion had been running on a high. Her mother had pushed her over the edge that day, accusing her of being irresponsible for considering skipped a college education for music. Except that had never been the musicians plan, she simply wanted to take a year off to explore the music world. But as per the usual, no amount of compromise or discussion could convince Janine Hathaway that she had it wrong.

"That sure was something else." She had heard from behind her as she left the stage with plans to wander aimlessly to avoiding returning to her so called home. She turned and saw him leaning against a brick wall cigarette hanging loosely from his fingertips. She scoffed at the sight of the ruggedly handsome man whom could be described simply as the definition of a bad boy. A fact that she immediately informed him of, to which he laughed before telling her to walk with him on the wild side. She had been toeing the line between wild and mediocre her whole life so that was all it took to convince her jump over and as she did she could only hope for no return.

That day they had walked and talked for hours, successfully distracting her from her mother and feeling she grew somewhat addicted to. Which was easily proven by the fact that she and Adrian spent countless hours and days together after that and after being together for only two months they had moved in together. The engagement had been a natural next step, sure it had been romantic but as the brunette wrapped her hair around her curling wand she felt a sinking feeling that the romance and passion that had once fueled her writing was fizzling out and she had no idea how to stop it.

…

Arriving at Lissa and Christians anniversary event dateless was a sight that shocked none, with Adrian bailing on her frequently for the sake of his art. As much as she adored him deep down, constantly explaining his disappearing act was growing tiresome but this day wasn't hers and Lissa's happiness is what would come first.

Rose entered the luxury dining area of the same Hotel she had performed at months before, every time she entered Vlad's it felt like everything had changed. Granted the building was huge and in some places historic but it seemed impossible that one place could have so many versatile areas. Regardless she shrugged her shoulders and gave her name at the door hoping that Lissa would be too busy to realise that – as usual, she was late.

She couldn't help her jaw all but hitting the floor as she soaked in her surroundings, she thought that the wedding of her friends had been extravagant with disposable money all but "Coming from their ass," as she had eloquently stated multiple times before. The room was pristine, flowers on every single surface – flat or otherwise, yet the scent wasn't overwhelming.

Scouring the room her eyes eventually landed on the masterpiece for the event, the couple. Lissa as usual look like she was a love child of a fairy and a runway model, with a lavender dress falling artfully from her tall and (unfairly) perfectly proportioned body. Christian stood next to her, arm around her waist somehow not fighting her in the looks department instead complimenting her perfectly.

Approaching the couple Rose threw her hair over her shoulder hoping that confidence would further throw of her tardiness.

"Hey Liss, congratulations for surviving this long with Sparky. Honestly I'm not sure how you've done it. You must truly have the patience of a saint." The Brunette state saucily with a wink to her friend, riling Christian up was a sport she knew she could always win and despite it being a celebration for him as well she just couldn't resist the open target.

"That much was already obvious Hathaway, considering she's put up with you all these years." He fired back before Lissa could finish shaking her head at their antics let alone create her own response but all it took was a few seconds for her to speak.

"Late as usual Rose." She stated with no venom in her voice, this came as no surprise seeing as she hadn't even been on time to their wedding and she was the Maid of Honour. A fact that no one let her forget but she had no issue coming up with a million reasons as to why she should have been excused from that small fault. In the end, Lissa had laughed it off and claimed she had needed the extra 20 minutes to memorise her vows anyway.

~FORBEARANCE~

Facing down the giant doors of Vlad's was nothing if not nostalgic for Dimitri, he hardly believed it had been months since he stood in the exact same spot. Waiting for the same friend. Getting ready to see the same girl. He almost wished he could go back and live the night over again but something told him that the voice of Rose Hathaway would always feel like a breath of fresh air. _Fresh, sensual, addictive air_ his brain edited for him.

"Belikov, this feels like déjà vu." Ivan's joked as he stood next to his Russian friend, "Let's save your career buddy." He added dragging Dimitri towards the doors.

Dimitri was a brave man, yet he couldn't stop his stomach knotting as every scenario played on repeat through his mind. Maybe she hadn't felt a connection, or her solo career was great as it was, the anxiety plaguing his thoughts made his hands clammy.

The warm air slamming into his body as he stepped through the door sent the nervous sweat he was exuding into overdrive. _This will be great impression too make, "Hello Rose, would you like to join forces with the tall, sweaty Russian man you've met only on one occasion?!"_ His inner dialogue was unfaltering despite the hushed pep talk spilling from Ivan.

He caught the occasional word of advice but the mental abuse he was suffering from overrode the attempts to soothe him. His legs moved him from corridor to corridor without him instructing them to so when they halted in front of a woman asking for his name, he took too long to answer.

His friendly companion looked at him with worry as he gave their names to the woman, confusion evident by her expression.

"Oookay?" She stated completely unaware, as she checked their names off of a pristine guest list after minutes of flipping the pages back and forth. Opening the door wide for the foreign men she looked them up and down with worry. _Great Belikov, she's probably alerting security of a mentally unstable man_.

Gripping his pushy friends arm he pulled himself into the corner of the room.

"Get a grip Belikov. The worst that happens is she says she isn't interested; we can go from there." He stated with unease for his friend ringing in his tone.

Nodding his head Dimitri felt his heart rate lower, as he took in his surroundings. The room was immaculate, the flowers on every surface didn't surprise him but the lack of abusive scent did.

The size of the guest list should have made the room crowded and uncomfortable but somehow the abundance of people didn't make him feel as though he was drowning in a sea of people.

Despite the quantity of guests, you could find the couple of honour without a second look. The air around them felt almost regal, their tall and delicate frames gave the illusion of porcelain dolls. The blonde woman demanded attention from the entire room without uttering a single syllable. Everyone's eyes were somehow on her even when engaged in isolated conversations.

Without a conscious thought, Dimitri felt his eyes pull towards the shorter brunette to the right of the porcelain blonde. Somehow she was the one with his attention and it almost felt amicable as her eyes lifted to meet his from meters away.

Instead of a rush of adrenaline or fear his body felt warm. Not in the uncomfortable way his bout of anxiety had caused but in a way that he could only compare to the feeling he had felt when he visited his family after years of distance.

Entering through the door and being enveloped in the cozy feeling of home; that was what he felt and he had no idea why. But of one thing he was certain. He liked it.

"Now or never." He muttered to himself, straightening his shoulders. His heart rate returned to normal, whilst his vision tunneled on his possible salvation.

~FORBEARANCE~


End file.
